Engineering of interlocked DNA G-quadruplexes as a robust scaffold

Interlock is a structural element in DNA G-quadruplexes that can be compared with the commonly used complementary binding of ‘sticky ends’ in DNA duplexes. G-quadruplex interlocking can be a basis for the assembly of higher-order structures. In this study, we formulated a rule to engineer (3 + 1) interlocked dimeric G-quadruplexes and established the folding topology of the designed DNA sequences by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. These interlocked G-quadruplexes are very stable and can serve as compact robust scaffolds for various applications. Different structural elements can be engineered in these robust scaffolds. We demonstrated the anti-HIV inhibition activity of the newly designed DNA sequences.